OFF THE SHELF – Issue # 8: CULT FAVOURITES
Look up the word “cult” in a thesaurus and underneath the words “sect, clique, faction, party, school (I knew it! I always knew school was just a cult gone wrong!), belief, faith, religion and denomination” you come to words like “worship, homage, veneration, adoration, devotion, idolisation, craze, fashion and fad.” Pretty accurate don’t you think?
So what ‘exactly’ is a CULT MOVIE then? The easiest definition of what I personally consider to be a cult movie is when you dig the hell out of a movie but it seems nobody else does. The critics are slamming it, the box office is down and it feels like it disappears from the cinema screens before you’ve even stood up from your seat as the lights fade up and the end titles come to a close. Then you start hearing mates of yours talking about liking it, then you find it’s constantly rented out of your local Blockbusters whenever you want to hire it and before you know it, some greasy fat fuck is wearing a T-shirt with a line from the movie printed on the front. You’ve got yourself quite a cult movie right there, methinks!
What follows are the titles that I have in my sub-section of DVDs marked ‘Cult Favourites’. There isn’t just “popular” cult titles thrown in there, there’s a few that you might find controversial i.e. not considered as “cult” but that me and my friends have a strong following in relation to and therefore regard as such. Then there are titles you might have totally forgotten existed and find yourself getting very excited about hunting out again. There could also, hopefully (as that’s the purpose of this whole series), be titles you’ve never heard of that you think “I’ll give that a go!” and all of a sudden you have yourself a new “cult favourite” in your own collection.
I’m trying to approach each issue with a different writing style to stop people getting bored. This time round, knowing that I’m famous for the enormous tangents and epic reviews I bore you all with, I decided to set myself a 100 word limit on each review. Let me tell you something… It nearly friggin’ killed me trying to be THAT succinct. But it was also really revealing to me as to how I can let my passion get away with me and how I can lose focus of what I’m trying to say sometimes.
So here are the 78, yes 78, titles that make up my Cult Favourites section of my DVD collection. Brought in at a rather admiral count of 7,648 words! As always it’s you lot that make this thing worthwhile so let me know if you agree, disagree with what I have to say about the titles in question, whether you want to flame me for my choices or recommend to me something you’d feel I’d like from what you can gather about my tastes below. That’s what the ATBs are for. ENJOY!
Alligator
I have a bit of a “thing” for giant alligator movies. Before Lake Placid came along, this was my definite favourite. It’s got Jackie Brown’s Robert Forster, investigating murders around the city and figuring out that there is a giant alligator from the sewers that is responsible. Then cult movie stalwart Henry Silva turns up as the “world’s greatest hunter” (but fails to spot said alligator hiding behind a box in an alleyway!). This was written by John Sayles so you’ll understand why the dialogue is so sharp and crisp for a film of this type!Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
This film has it’s haters but with Will Ferrell on top form, Steve Carrell completely stealing the entire friggin’ movie, cartoon interludes, a singalong to Afternoon Delight and a Gangs of New York spoof that is better then the actual film itself, then this is definitely worth a watch. I still try and sell this to people as one of the strongest and most confident of ‘bizarre’ comedies. I fail often. Thanks to Talladega Nights though, people are starting to revisit this flick and its fanbase seems to build more and more each year!Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Remember how much you dug the crap out of this flick the first time you saw it? Remember how original it felt? Remember how friggin’ funny Dr Evil was in comparison to the meant-to-be-funnier lead? Remember how annoying those catchphrases become when the public “adopted” them? Remember how quickly that annoyance turned to hatred-for-the-film? Remember how it’s NEVER cool to say “Yeah Baby!” in the style of Austin Powers ever? Remember how great this film was before the mass movie-going public ruined it? Revisit it!Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
A sequel superior to the original in every way – by taking the time to look at what effect the first film had on the pop culture radar, what people liked and disliked and giving them more and less of those things respectively, Myers and company have managed to hone the ‘bigger/bolder’ mentality that often comes (and flounders) from franchising a surprise sleeper hit, into a genuine comedic joyride: the increased Dr Evil (his appearance on Springer is genius!), introducing Mini-Me, Myers trying Peter Sellers schtick with Fat Bastard, even getting a reasonable performance out of Heather Graham. Brilliant!Austin Powers: Goldmember
Myers has gone multiple-role-obsessed on us here (Powers, Dr Evil, Fat Bastard and new-boy Goldmember). There are more things that don’t work (Beyonce!) or at least don’t hit as hard as they should (Michael Caine!) then there are that do but it’s the affinity for the characters we’ve come to love (Dr Evil!!!) that carries us through what amounts to a quick ‘compilation’ of things we’ve come to expect from this franchise. However, between ‘that’ opening sequence (Cruise! Paltrow! DeVito! Spacey! Spielberg!) and the prison sequences there’s enough to make it recommendable. Just glad they’re leaving the franchise alone now!Bachelor Party
Tom Hanks before he got all serious on us! Someone trying to slit their wrists with an electrical razor! A man trying to screw a woman who is actually a man! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen finding an excuse to dress up as a whore! A drug-snorting donkey and a finale that involves a chase in a school bus and a rather funny fist fight in a cinema. Come on now, are you not sold yet? Okay, let me use up my word count then… Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen! Tawny Kitaen!Bad Santa: Badder Santa Version
I imported this from the US because I got sick to death of waiting for them to stop fucking with it’s release and just let us Brits see it! I eventually ended up owning it on DVD a full year before they finally released it. It gave me enough time to lend it out and build up enough of a cult following for it amongst my friends. It’s hilarious! It’s original! Billy Bob rocks! But it does stink of being butchered by Harvey Weinstein. If it’s this funny edited into schmaltz then I’d love to see the original take!BASEketball
I’d never actually seen this and my friends were incredulous to this as I counted the South Park movie as one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. I picked it up cheap as I was sick of being heckled about never having seen it. I laughed a lot with it but just couldn’t “love” it as my mates hyped it up too much. Given time and a few more viewings I think I’ll embrace it a lot more. The South Park movie is STILL funnier though, as controversial as that opinion is with my friends!Being John Malkovich
Australia. 2000. I was gigging it as a wannabe stand-up-comedian and, on this particular night, found myself with six hours between gigs. I used the time to see this film back-to-back with PT Anderson’s Magnolia. I was blown away. Cinema reinvented itself in early 2000 with those movies. I subsequently went on stage that night and ended up talking non-stop about them and, as I said that night, and have said since, the only thing greater then Being John Malkovich is Being Pamela Anderson’s Tit Tape, and seeing as the latter isn’t possible (for now), I’ll whole-heartedly embrace the former!The Blues Brothers
Oh come on now – John Belushi and Dan Akroyd on that mission of God? Singing with the likes of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Scatman Crothers, James Brown and many more that this 100 word limit won’t allow me to address. Then there’s that infamous car chase. John Candy and Carrie Fisher (amongst others) doing ace cameos. A musical designed purely and simply to steal the heart of people like me, who hate musicals with a passion! “We do both types of music here – Country! And Western!”The Blues Brothers 2000
This came with the original back when you could only get the first with the second accompanying it. I detest this film. It destroys everything that is ace about the original. It takes the genius of that film and defecates over it. From Akroyd’s “zombie” schtick, to that bratty kid, to Aretha Franklin owning a car dealership, to Joe Morton bastardising John Belushi’s fantastic James Brown gospel bit… Oh just writing about this film makes me throw up in my mouth. I’m going to buy the reissued DVD at some point so I can get this atrocity off my shelf!Blue Velvet
For me it’s impossible to come out of watching this film without feeling so fucking dirty – and not in a sexual sense! It’s strange that probably David Lynch’s most mainstream of movies (probably The Straight Story is a better example, actually) is one of his most shocking, disturbing and upsetting. I suppose the skill lies in the fact that he submerges you in it so well that you don’t feel TRULY shocked, disturbed or upset until the final credits roll. I’m not a huge fan of Lynch and don’t enjoy a lot of his work, but I dig this film!Bottle Rocket
“Caw! Caw-Caw!” If that means nothing to you then it means you haven’t seen Wes Anderson’s brilliant debut. It’s like a secret, Masonic handshake that reveals whether an movie buff is “cool” or not. If they smirk and say “Bottle Rocket right?” then you know that they have impeccable taste in all that is great about independent cinema, movie comedies and Owen Wilson pre-Dupree! If they say “Why are you doing impressions of a bird?” then… kick them in their nuts! If they have no nuts, then they’re a woman and… well… a tit-strike is as equally effective!
Brick
I bought this without having seen it first, the word of mouth was so positive. That never normally works out well for me and I didn’t like this film at all first time round. So much so, I was planning on giving it away and snuck another viewing before doing so. I dug it a lot more a second time and kept a hold of it. I’ve seen it some more since then and it’s growing on me each time. I’m even starting to actually… “love” it. Just goes to show kids, first impressions aren’t always the right ones!Brotherhood of the Wolf
This is Christopher Gans’ 2002 critically acclaimed cult gem – a martial arts, action adventure hidden within a romantic period drama that’s actually a gothic horror film. Samuel Le Bihan and Mark Dacascos (Yes! Dacascos! Can you believe he’s in a good film?) play the intrepid heroes hunting a vicious creature terrorising 18th Century France. This is a fresh, constantly entertaining, rollocking good ride. See it if you haven’t already! Make space for it on your shelf the minute you have!Bubba Ho-Tep
For the full review, it’s RIGHT HERE!Chopper
One of the most visually interesting, genuinely unique debuts I’ve encountered. This is the story of notorious Australian criminal Mark “Chopper” Read, as adapted from his NINE best-selling autobiographies (including ‘How To Shoot Friends And Influence People’). It’s sick, funny, fascinating and frightening all at the same time which is also an accurate way to describe the awesome central performance from Eric Bana – then known only as Oz’s top stand-up comic, now more famous for his searing talent as a dramatic actor! Andrew Dominik’s film is one I strongly recommend you see!Chuck & Buck
Remember when someone gets massively famous you pretend you got on the first rung of their ladder by claiming to like their “early” work better then their “mass, commercial stuff” – e.g. Woody Allen, The Rolling Stones, Jerry Bruckheimer (wink, wink!) – and it’s normally bullshit? Well, I wouldn’t have seen this had Mike White not been responsible for School of Rock and Orange County and I’m not claiming to have embraced this flick before he went ‘mainstream’. But I like it now and I’m urging you all to check out this twisted, funny little indie – and that’s all that matters!
Class of 1984
This film – the story of a teacher who makes the mistake of standing up to thugs at a notorious school overrun with delinquents – has dated enormously and is very hard to take seriously as a result but, watching it today, it amazes you with how much Mark Lester and company actually predicted re the state of schools (teacher breakdowns, student on teacher violence, metal detectors in the corridors etc.). The rape sequence still sits a little uncomfortably but overall it isn’t as raw and offensive as its original “Video Nasty” label indicates.Cujo
I saw this as a child. It’s really the first form of horror film that I ever remember seeing. It used to be in my ‘Old Childhood Favourites’ section for that reason until I realised that every time I brought it up with somebody when discussing Stephen King adaptations, there was a ton of love for this flick and it definitely had a cult following. This is that rabies-infested-killer-St-Bernard film. The one with a ponderous first and second act but one of the most tension-soaked, disturbing and upsetting third acts you could imagine seeing from a film of this ilk.Dark City
Another film I hadn’t seen and picked up cheap because a few people here talked incessantly about its greatness. It’s a visual feast that scared and thrilled me in equal measures but I still don’t think that I “get” it half as much as I’m meant to. I think it’s one of the most visually assured films I’ve seen in a long time and, not being a major fan of science fiction at all, to have me embrace it in the manner I have makes it one of the finest of it’s genre. Deserves more than being a “cult” flick!Dazed and Confused
I think this is one of the best cinematic autobiographies out there. I caught this late on BBC2 here in the UK one night back when I was a student and I really fell in love with it. It’s impossible not to identify with the characters and their feelings. Then there’s that absolutely fantastic soundtrack (Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Sabbath, Deep Purple, ZZ Top, Dylan, Kiss and Frampton to name but a few!) and the fact that the ‘underdog’ kid wins out and… you’ve got yourself a film that is a cult masterpiece but deserves wider recognition!Dead and Buried
This is one of my favourite horror movies and an absolute cracking film to boot. It’s got a superb little twist and, ropey performances by James Farentino and Flash Gordon’s Melody Anderson aside, it’s a sinister little firecracker of a film with a mixed bag of effects from a young Stan Winston. Much maligned on its release, it’s now got a small, core fanbase who keep the love alive. I urge you to see this film and spread the word on to someone else. Come on now… If you liked BBC’s The League of Gentlemen you’ll adore this!Deathline
“Standclearofthedoorsplease!” As cult as a cult film can possible get. Donald Pleasance stars and Christopher Lee is given second lead despite being in the film for less than 4 minutes, in this much sought after arthouse horror movie filmed in and around Russell Square tube station. It’s about cannibals on the London underground and was shredded and “remade” as Christopher Young’s Creep with lesser results. It’s incredibly dated and very, very camp but it’s still an absolute blast of a viewing experience and the very definition of “cult”. Very worth checking out but incredibly hard to get a hold of.Dog Soliders
Having a 100 word count on each review is actually a luxury with this film as I only need 10 to sell it to you – “Geordie and Scottish soldiers fighting werewolves in the Scottish Highlands!” I missed this completely at the flicks which was a shame as Neil Marshall is a local lad from my neighbourhood so I would have liked to have supported his film. I caught up with it on DVD and I absolutely adore it. Funny, fast-paced, scary and above its budget limitations. There is more visual wit and imagination here then Paul W. Anderson’s entire filmography!Donnie Darko
Avoid the tampered-with-it-too-much directors cut and stick with the original. I still don’t have a friggin’ clue what is going on with this film but it’s a movie whereby if you embrace it from the start, it’ll take you on a wonderfully original ride regardless. Suffering from a botched US release, it was us Brits that grabbed hold of Richard Kelly’s debut and hugged the life out of it. I love the original poster with the characters making up a vision of Frank the Rabbit. And, be honest, who’d have thought Patrick Swayze could pull a role like this off?Elf
This is becoming my Christmas film of choice! Well, behind Die Hard! This little cult masterpiece succeeds because of it’s warm-hearted approach to the concept of a human ‘elf’ from Santa’s North Pole coming to New York in search of his birth father. Will Ferrell can smother many co-performers but here he is superbly supported by the likes of James Caan, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen who more then hold their own against him. Ferrell is on top form here – in one of the warmest, funniest and just outright lovely films I have seen in a long time!Equilibrium
For every great Filmrot recommendation (Dark City), there’s one’s that I am a little indifferent towards and there’s those that I just cannot abide (The Boondock Saints). This, I’m currently ‘50/50’ about. I enjoy it but each time I watch it I find I’m dozing off or getting distracted. I can’t explain it. I’m not hating the film, I’m actually enjoying what I’m seeing but I never get through it in one sitting. I’m definitely going to make time to watch this all the way through. I’m sitting on the fence about it for now.The Evil Dead
There’s nearly been as many variations of this on DVD as there has been of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. I’m proud to have bought the very first edition of Sam Raimi’s cult horror classic in its rather naff cardboard cover and stuck with it all these years in its brilliant, full uncut glory! Out of all those fabled “low budget early works” that keep getting bandied about when a director finally hits the big time, this is probably my favourite! After all, none of the others have a woman getting raped by a tree do they?The Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn
Yes, it’s more a remake then a sequel per se but at the end of the day every self-respecting film fan has got to own this wouldn’t you agree? It’s one of the most crazy, balls-to-the-wall, visually inventive, edge of the seat thrill rides available within the horror genre. “Kiss Your Nerves Goodbye” said the poster tagline. Indeed! I’ve got 48 words left so let me just leave you with this image; Bruce Campbell fighting his own possessed arm, cutting it off, sticking a chainsaw on the stump and going back out to battle demons! Sold yet?The Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness
I wanted to own a DVD of this with both the Theatrical version (ending with Bruce returning to the present and fighting a demon in a supermarket) and the Director’s Cut (Bruce wakes up in an apocalyptic future) so much that I settled on one of those DVD’s where they’ve photoshopped “Evil Dead 3” rather amateurishly onto the cover even though that’s not actually it’s title. I think this is a bold, hugely entertaining slice of nonsense but its complete lack of focus whilst trying to tell an actual story this time round annoys me! Still a much-derided gem though!Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fact – Cameron Crowe went back to school and posed as a student! Fact – He wrote a book, then a screenplay, about it! Fact – Amy Heckerling took his fantastic work and made a movie! Fact – nobody notices the screenplay because a) they cast Sean Penn and let him ad-lib his way to stardom with the iconic role of Spicoli and b) the minute Phoebe Cates climbs out of that swimming pool everybody stops listening to the words or following the plot! Watch again and you’ll get a new found appreciation for Crowe’s joyous script!Flash Gordon
I know there’s more haters for this then there are fans (doesn’t that justify it as a “cult” gem?) so I’m not going to try and sell it to you. I’m just going to use my word count listing things I adore about this film: Queen’s soundtrack, Brian ‘Gordon’s Alive’ Blessed, Ornelia Muti’s Princess Aura and my childhood hand-to-cock encounters because of her, Max Von Sydow’s sublime turn as Ming the Merciless, Flash playing American Football with Ming’s guards, Topal and Melody Anderson’s bizarrely wooden Dale – “Flash! I love you but we only have fourteen hours to save Earth!”The Fountain
I know that this film has an enormous cult following behind it all ready but it is currently unwatched by me so I cannot comment just yet. I get a huge amount of DVDs passed on or sent to me on a weekly basis by friends who think that I have just “got” to see a particular title or they hope that I’ll pay mention to their “favourite” film on this website. They build up in a large pile next to the TV. This is currently lying between The Doors and London to Brighton. I’ll let you know!Friday
I want to let you all in on a secret. Don’t tell anyone but… I’m white! And not ‘Michael Jackson’ white either. I’m, you know, just “white”. I don’t wear “bling” and I don’t do the ‘weed’ anymore. I don’t wear my jeans around my kneecaps and I’ve never walked as if I have springs on my heels whilst swinging my arms in front of my chest. But I still have a bit of a soft spot for this stupid slice of good fun. Forget the crappy sequels; this is the one – an inoffensive enjoyable bit of comedic nonsense!Garden State
I’d never have thought that Zach Braff was capable of something so touching, majestic and perfect for my generation. Surviving rather well in the face of accusations of pretentiousness and excessive sentimentality, Braff’s writer/director/leading man debut is both heartfelt and hilarious. Natalie Portman is also superb and shows us that it’s sometimes okay to want to fuck the deranged! Its acclaimed soundtrack seems to overshadow the film itself these days but if you’re 25-30 and wondering just what the fuck to do with your life here is a film that tells you “Fuck it! It’s all going to be okay!”Harold & Kumar Get The Munchies
He who made Dude Where’s My Car, a film only half watched but completely unloved by me, follows that with this – a tale of two stoners in search of the munchies. I’ve got to admit to laughing quite regularly throughout this and finding some parts of it downright hysterical. I know that’s probably not cool but this is all about honest opinion after all. Known in the US as “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle”, we Brits have to have it more clearly spelt out for us. Yet you’re the idiots that gave Bush a second term. Go figure!Harold & Maude
Harold (Bud Cort) is a rich teenager obsessed with death, specifically committing suicide. Maude (Ruth Gordon) is an 80-odd year old obsessed with life and all the good intentions in the world. They fall in love… to a timeless soundtrack by Cat Stevens. Hal Asby’s cult 70s classic is exactly what that opening sentence dictates. It’s a funny, touching and very affecting film, but it’s not for everyone and you’ll know pretty definitely from what I’ve written so far as to whether this is something that you’d be interested in or not.Heathers
Michael Lehmann’s 80s gem gets pissed on everytime some teenage nutter shoots up his school but forget all that hysteria and enjoy it for what it is – a darkly comic, often downright hilarious, satire of high school sexual/social rituals, the media and rich suburbia where Christian Slater’s Nicholson pastiche and Winona Ryder (surprisingly good!) team up to murder their school’s rich elite. A film so good even the normally poe-faced Guardian describes it as “a teen movie to end all teen movies… it bites at all conventions until real blood flows along with tears of laughter!” Indeed!The Hitcher
A film that gives Rutger Hauer his best ever role (yup, Blade Runner included), makes C. Thomas Howell actually look rather good, hands Robert Harmon his greatest directorial job and is also the best work screenwriter Eric Red has ever done. A film so timeless in its brilliance and ingenuity that no pointless sequel or atrocious remake (or so I’ve heard) can ever detract from it. You’ll remember it as being “pretty good”. It’s actually a genuinely superb piece of cult cinema that gets better with age. There are not a lot of cult films you can say that about!Hostel
Eli Roth’s problem is he should shut up and stop over-hyping, subsequently disappointing less people. This isn’t the “goriest, sickest movie you’ll ever see” or the “greatest modern horror”. It’s a poor-man’s-From-Dusk-Till-Dawn, melding two genres together (here, comedic sex romp with OTT horror) for a mindless ride that does exactly what’s expected, until Roth starts selling it as something different. Yes, he goes gore obsessed at the expense of the sense of dread and tension created rather well in early scenes. More of the latter, less of the former and he’d have made a film more superior to what he actually thinks he has!Idiocracy
My opinion on this is well covered in the ATBs following a recent review of it. I got sick of waiting for its release here after it’s mishandling in the US and imported the DVD. I liked it and thought Mike Judge had a great satirical point to make and a brilliant premise to deliver it within. He kind of loses the point he is trying to make by going for broader, more stupid gags then the film deserves. However, you should give this a go. It’s funnier and more deserving of your attention then Fox would have you believe!Lake Placid
I unashamedly adore this. In fact it’s only crime is that it’s barely 78 friggin’ minutes long. David E. Kelley’s script is an outright joy of zinging one-liners and acerbic twists on this genre. Everyone involved, including the rather banal leads Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda, shine brightly… thanks to their ability to share the spotlight with the fantastic Brendan Gleeson and the wonderfully, and surprisingly, uncouth Betty ‘Golden Girls’ White. The star of the show, of course, is not the 30-foot crocodile but the hysterical Oliver Platt who takes Kelley’s hugely quotable screenplay and runs away with the show.The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Roger Lewis’ book is not the uber-biography everyone says it is. It is overly long, pretentious and very confusing to read. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have done a fantastic job in adapting such poor source material into such a light and thoroughly entertaining film, especially for a film with such a dark character driving it. Hugely under-rated, this film has a stellar cast (Geoffrey Rush is magnificent as Sellers, Emily Watson as his first wife, Charlize Theron as Britt Eckland, John Lithgow as Blake Edwards and Stanley Tucci as Stanley Kubrick) and is very much deserving of your attention.London to Brighton
I’m aware this film has a cult following behind it all ready but I haven’t watched it yet so I cannot comment. As I said earlier, I get a huge amount of DVDs passed on or sent to me on a weekly basis by friends who think that I have just “got” to see a particular title or they hope that I’ll pay mention to their “favourite” film on this website. They all just pile up beside the TV. This is currently lying between The Fountain and Gridiron Gang. I’ll let you know!The Long Kiss Goodnight
I’m glad this film’s growing a strong cult following. Yeah, Geena Davis is naff and Renny Harlin over-directs the crap out of it, but entertaining action sequences aside, there’s two reasons why this film is a surprisingly ace little misfire: 1) Samuel L. Jackson’s turn as Mitch Henessey, dead-beat private eye. Give this man his own spin-off movie NOW! 2) Shane Black’s acerbically superb screenplay with some of the most hilarious, off-kilter dialogue you’ll ever hear. Head over to the IMDB ‘quotes’ page for this and you’ll laugh out loud AT LEAST once. Give this film another go!Kids
At 15 I snuck into the cinema to see this with a friend, so desperate were we following all the media furore around Larry Clark’s film. We came out completely thrown by this exciting, dirty and shocking film we’d seen about teenagers having sex, doing drugs and committing crimes. Twelve years later you watch this and think “What the fuck was all that about?” If anything they should be showing this film in schools because I’m telling you now, if I’d seen this as a thirteen year old boy I’d have super-glued a fucking condom to my cock for life!Me, You and Everyone We Know
I’ll hold back on an informed opinion for now. I get lent films, don’t have time to watch them, end up ‘burning’ and getting to eventually. If I like it, I get the cover and it’s up on my shelf. If I don’t I just hand the disc on to someone else. This has somehow ended up on my shelf, yet I cannot remember much about it from having watched it. I know I was drunk but there must have been something to endear it to me. I’ll have to watch this again!Napoleon Dynamite
I’m opening myself up for attack here but how can you hate this film? I imagine it annoyed more in the US where I’ve heard the catchphrases strayed dangerously close to ‘Austin Powers’ levels of irritancy, but like that film too, how can you really deep down hate the film itself – a wonderfully original, often hysterical opportunity to experience such a fantastically unique and entertaining character. Using meat against his uncle, experimenting with a “time machine” or dancing in front of the whole school, this is a brilliant cult gem – worth every bit of the acclaim it received! “Sweet!”Office Space
It’s hard to write about this without confirming that to really adore this flick the way it deserves to be adored, you really have to have worked in an office but that really is the case here! Mike Judge has given us one of the funniest, most irreverent comedic cult masterpieces of the last ten years and with the work of both Gary Cole and Stephen Root, we’ve been handed two of the greatest characters in comedy genre history. You just cannot hate this film. Everyone should own it! PS it includes the comedic genius of John C. McGinley!Old School
Okay, so there’s nothing fresh about this Animal-House-esque entry but as a vehicle for the comedic talents of Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn it’s pretty damn good. Often unfairly derided, at the end of the day it’s a comedy that makes you laugh out loud with a degree of regularity often missing from the comedy genre. What more can you ask for from a comedy? Very funny stuff! Maybe the time has passed for the opportunity of a sequel, but Ferrell’s Frank the Tank is still someone I’d like to see on the big screen again!The Omega Man
Doctor Robert Neville is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons, due to an experimental vaccine. The plague caused by the war has killed everyone else except for a few hundred deformed, nocturnal people calling themselves “The Family”. The plague has caused them to become sensitive to light, as well as psychotic in nature. Now, the “last man on earth” must do battle with them in order to survive! Now, we all know that time has not been kind to this film but that doesn’t stop it being a great slice of cult nonsense with Charlton Heston getting freaky with an afro’d ass-kicker or throwing one-liners on the deserted streets of Manhattan. Will Smith’s upcoming remake is meant to be friggin’ ace but I’ll always have a soft spot for this little 70s gem!Overnight / The Boondock Saints
A documentary about the writer/director behind one of the worst films I have ever seen. There is no way in hell that Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana (yes, it’s his real name!) should have been able to make a film as jaw-droppingly compelling and painful as this, but they have – and then some! The much-deserved fall of Troy Duffy, a genuinely nasty piece of work unjustly handed the ‘golden ticket’ by Harvey Weinstein is one of the most gruesomely entertaining documentary pieces you will ever see! Duffy’s arrogance, vanity and narcissism has to be seen to be believed!
The movie at the centre of this very documentary comes free with the DVD and, despite its legion of fans on this very website, is thought of by me to be one of the most ponderous, inept and downright atrocious films I’ve ever seen. Thank God that I’d had the misfortunate to see this before I’d seen Overnight because I would hate for people to think that I hated this film because of Duffy personally, rather than just hating it because it is ridiculously crass, enormously immature and completely uninvolving for me personally. A genuinely horrible viewing experience!Q: The Winged Serpent
Remember those kooky films with the giant monsters made out of plastercine and string? With a budget of 50p or something? Well this is the daddy of them all with a performance by ‘character actor’ Michael Moriarty that is way above and beyond what this film deserves, ably supported by David Carradine and Richard Rountree. It’s about cops – and a robber – fighting a giant Aztec Serpent who’s flying through the skies of Manhattan, picking people off and nesting in the Chrysler Building. Larry Cohen has delivered a genuine mix of both bizarre and brilliant low budget, maverick filmmaking!Re-Animator
Stuart Gordon’s 1985 cult classic is an absolute joy for fans of the horror genre. Its inventiveness and gory scares make this a fantastic experience and… Look, who am I kidding: This is balls-to-the-wall brilliant, bat-shit-insane horror with a zombie cat having to be beaten to a pulp with a shovel and a severed head giving oral sex to a woman. This film is every bit as ace as you have heard it is! If you’ve never seen it for a while, you should definitely re-embrace it. I’m on the hunt for Parts 2 and 3 as I write this!Repo Man
Up until a month or so ago I hadn’t actually seen this. Friends constantly kept questioning its absence from my ‘cult’ subsection and I found it in the local supermarket for only £1 so I thought I’d give it a go. To be honest, I liked it and hated it in equal measures. The off-the-wall/anything-goes schtick was done far better in Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China. However, it is pretty inventive and as slapdash and uneven as it is, you’re pretty much guaranteed that you’ve never seen anything like this before.Restless Natives
Out of everything in this collection, this is probably my second favourite cult movie of all time. It’s a beloved, Scottish 80s gem about two poor, bored Edinburgh teenagers who dress up in wolf and clown masks and take their motorbike out into the Highlands to rob the coach-loads of tourists passing through, becoming a Robin-Hood-style sensation with the public in the process. With a superb, timeless soundtrack by much-missed Scottish rockers Big Country, this was a much-loved film from childhood viewings with my dad that I was ecstatic to find getting a DVD release.Revenge of the Nerds
Regarding this film, a friend e-mailed me saying “…Sometimes a film comes out that sets such an excellent template that rip-offs and sequels drown/smother the original, and you come to forget or at least look down on where it all started…” This film is not a template-setter buddy! Standing in the shadow of John Landis’ Animal House this is another, but admittedly superior-to-the-rest, play on the geeks versus jocks theme. Very much dated (‘Jamie’ Cromwell “grew up” to be Chair of the SAG and Jack Bauer’s Dad no less!) but still a great deal of fun. Worth a look!Run Ronnie Run
I’ve never seen a single episode of Mr Show and I know that David Cross and Bob Odenkirk (the creators of that show and this movie) have totally disowned this cameo-laden film – the story of a perpetually arrested redneck who goes on reality TV and ends up in Hollywood as a huge star – but I still find it laugh out loud funny, biting and both very smart AND very dumb. If this film has been butchered severely then I’d love to see Cross and Odenkirk’s original vision because even their “version from hell” is still pretty hilarious!Serenity
Never seen any of Joss Whedon’s Buffy/Angel and had no interest in his Firefly, as I’m not a fan of sci-fi, until someone burnt me two episodes (“Out of Gas”/“Heart of Gold”) and I got hooked, investing in the entire boxset. Yeah, it was killed before it’s time but I had mixed feelings about a “movie”, thinking it’d diminish what was ace about the show in favour of big bangs for a bigger audience. Then I saw the film on DVD and thought it was wonderful. One of my favourite sci-fi movies and a brilliant compliment to the show.Shaun of the Dead
For the full review, it’s RIGHT HERE!Silent Hill
Back when I was living away through work and had insane amounts of cash at my disposal I’d go out weekly and pick up a load of new releases, like this: I hadn’t seen it, never really played the computer game but quite fancied it from the scary trailers. Furthermore the director was responsible for Brotherhood of the Wolf! I was really disappointed with this film. It started really, really well then descended into confusion and pretentiousness – eventually overstaying its welcome by about 30 minutes. I know it has its fans but after 50 minutes this film loses me completely!Slackers
A secret joy of mine! Probably the DVD that I force people to watch the most. A trio of college cheaters get busted and blackmailed by the school weirdo. It’s got a cracking script and star turns by Jason Segel and Michael C. Maronna, only really suffering from its wooden leads Devon Sawa and James King. The real star though is the formidable Jason Schwartzman who basically grabs hold of the film by its balls, tears them off and runs away into the night with them. He is laugh-out loud, insanely brilliant. Hair-dolls, singing-penis’, Cameron-Diaz-cameos? This is a hugely-underrated joy!Slither
A good, old-fashioned throwback to the Fred Dekker/Brian Yuzna slapdash gore-extravaganzas of the 80s. I had a rollicking, great time with this film. It’s both funny and scary and hugely quotable at the same time with some cracking little set-pieces (a young girl’s fight against a creature in the bath, then trying to escape her own infected family is a standout!) and, second to Mr & Mrs Smith, the best use of an Air Supply song, like, ever! James Gunn more than made up for those Scooby Doo movies with this flick!Snakes on a Plane
Yeah, I got suckered along like the rest of you with this. Forget all that internet-hype/“built-in-cult” thing, and just look at it for what it is – it’s opening act/initial set-up/on-slaughter-of-snakes stakes this flick out as a cheesy, out-and-out entertaining B-movie with no pretensions, much like David R. Ellis’ other cracking B-movie, Cellular. However, by the hour/hour-ten mark this shit gets old real quick and no amount of Samuel L. Jackson quotes can save it. In fact, bringing fat-boy Kenan Thompson out to fly the plane all but kills it completely. A misfire, but a relatively entertaining one at that!So I Married an Axe-Murderer
Sandwiched between the Wayne World’s double and the might of the Austin Powers trilogy, is this forgotten but brilliant Mike Myers flick that he didn’t have any creative input on other then to turn up and star. It’s a hugely under-rated comedic romp in which the title all but covers the inner-quandary Myers’ character finds himself in. With superb support from Nancy Travis, Amanda Plummer, Anthony LaPaglia and Brenda Fricker, along with hysterical cameos from Alan Arkin, Phil Hartman and Charles Grodin this is a comedy well worth 89 minutes of your time and space on your shelf!Strangers with Candy
I burned this on a whim, having liked the premise but not having time to get to it immediately. I had no idea that it’s actually a prequel-of-sorts to a short-lived-but-much-loved TV show. I thought it was a really quirky, slyly funny little movie that had the feel of a Daily Show script – only to find by the end credits that the show’s stars/head-writers were all involved! This – the tale of a 47yr old ex-con junkie going back to high school – is not going to top any “best of” lists or change the world but it won’t disappoint you!Streets of Fire
A crazy, hugely-dated rock-and-roll opera in the vein of Jim Steinman/Meatloaf. Written and directed by Walter Hill, produced by Joel Silver and scored by Ry Cooder this stars the insanely gorgeous Diane Lane as a rock diva who’s kidnapped by the leader of a vicious biker gang (Willem Dafoe) and the ex-boyfriend-turned-solider-of-fortune (Michael Pare), his sidekick (Amy Madigan) and the diva’s manager (Rick Moranis) who launch a rescue mission to get her back. With songs written by Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks etc. this is probably one of the cheesiest, foot-tapping, high-octane forgotten cult gems of the 80s! Enjoy!The Stepfather
This film used to terrify the crap out of me when I was growing up. It still stands the test of time now and is quite the template for the glutton of they-are-not-what-they-seem movies we get thrown at us nigh on weekly! It’s all down to one thing – Terry O’Quinn! Locke from Lost’s performance is an absolute masterclass in masked, desperate insanity. It’s dated quite badly and inferior rip-offs have diminished it but it’s still a real treat to experience watching from an acting point of view. Allegedly a remake is due later this year. Sigh!The Stepfather 2
Up until 4 months ago I didn’t even know there was a sequel (or a diabolical DTV third movie!) to one of my favourite cult guilty pleasures. In the age of the ‘interweb’ it’s insane that such information could pass me by. I bought a cheap copy off a website to satisfy my curiosity and was very disappointed. The exciting and interesting stuff on offer first time round got very old very fast and if you’ve seen the first, superior, one then you’ve seen this. I won’t be entertaining a third variation on a film that doesn’t require a trilogy!Super Troopers
The film that birthed our very own Filmrot LargeFarva. Say what you like about Broken Lizard and their last couple of films (more on them in later issues!) what you cannot argue with here is just how assured, consistent and downright funny this film is. Its laughs run the full gambit between downright stupid (taking shots at each other’s bulletproof crotch protectors!) and rather clever, masking as utterly surreal (“Turn your engine off miaow!”). An enormously easy to love cult comedic classic-in-waiting with two great supporting turns by Brian Cox and Daniel Von Bargen (friggin’ love that name, man!)!Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
I’d heard awful things about this film pre-release and when my mate, who’s a huge fan of the ‘D’, stayed away from the cinema, I decided it couldn’t be good. I didn’t even rush for it on DVD either. A friend actually loaned me a copy and I put it on minus any enthusiasm… only to have a blast with it. It could have been way, way, way better then it was, but what it is still entertains enough to warrant me burning it and wanting to see it a few more times in the future! Cock-push-ups rule!The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
You kind of have to own this if you’re a fan of a) cult cinema and b) horror overall. It’s a film nearly drowned by its own dreadful franchise and the weight of a remake/prequel on top of it, but it really is one of the purest horror films ever committed to celluloid. A film unwaveringly committed to scaring the very excrement from your excrement-passage and a really disturbing, blackly comedic and uniquely paced (the entire second and third act is almost one long chase, soundtracked by a running chainsaw!) cult masterpiece!This Film is Not Yet Rated
Obviously this hit harder in the States then it did over here but Kirby Dick’s documentary is still a very compelling, interesting and provocative insight into the MPAA, the censorship board governing America’s cinema where anonymity protects it’s members – and their bizarre decisions relating to violence against sex or heterosexuality versus homosexuality – until Dick hires a private investigator to expose their identities! With input from the likes of Kevin Smith, John Waters, Kimberly Pierce, Matt Stone and Trey Parker this is an illuminating and well thought out documentary piece that every self-respecting film-fan should see!Top Secret!
Constantly thought of as the bastard-step-child of the Naked Gun movies, this is actually a more sophisticated, much cleverer attempt at movie spoofs and surreal visual comedy. The Abraham/Zucker team take on war movies/Elvis musicals and pretty much anything and everything with this story of a rock star being used to take on the East German High Command. Whether it’s the “I know a little German” gag or the cow with Wellington boots in the movies climax, this is comedy gold far more deserving of your attention then any third Naked Gun or fourth Scary Movie!Withnail & I
The very definition of British cult cinema and responsible for more drinking games and mis-quoting of movie dialogue then any other film I can think of. The story of two out-of-work actors abandoning the squalor of their Camden flat for a week in the country is, at all points, intelligent, touching and downright hilarious. Bruce Robinson’s autobiographical film (Withnail is based very much on his best friend Viv who died of throat cancer!) is like the very wine that our characters search for throughout the movie; constantly growing better and better with each passing year! A truly superb British film!And in my crappy, snap-shut cardboard cover range we have the following:
The Hidden
My favourite cult movie of all time: A demonic E.T is invading the bodies of innocent humans and transforming them into possessed killers with an obsessive fondness for heavy-metal, fast-cars, sex and unspeakable violence. An LA cop (Michael Nouri) and a mysterious FBI agent (Kyle McLachlan) team up to stop the madness. With one of the greatest opening 20 odd minutes in B-movie history, this is one of the smartest, fastest horror/action/comedy/sci-fi blends out there, equalling Big Trouble in Little China. Criminally unavailable here in the UK, ignore the diabolical DTV sequel and import this movie now!The Lost Boys
Constantly fluctuating between here and my Old Childhood Favourites section, Joel Schumacher’s 80s jewel is a 12 year old boy’s fantasy piece of ignorant adults, water-pistols filled with holy water, sieges and vampire biker gangs. Times change; Corey Haim and Corey Feldman have never been as good again, Jason Patric only got worse and Kiefer Sutherland has saved the world 6 times now. Go back and revisit this film before they ruin it with a stupid remake or a naff sequel. Not as good as Monster Squad but still probably in the top 50 movies of that decade!
Questions, queries and quibbles can be directed to me over the multitude of issues of OFF THE SHELF in a variety of formats! You can e-mail me at:
undiscovered_genius@hotmail.comorgazz@stalepopcorn.co.ukOr you can “check me out” at:
www.myspace.com/gazzfromfilmrot(which will obviously be getting a slight name change over the coming weeks!)Or finally, you could just leave a comment below!
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